Education
B.A. Wheaton College, M.Div. Fuller Theological Seminary, Th.D. Harvard University Divinity School
todd.billings@westernsem.edu

Courses
TF114 Systematic Theology II
TF124 Credo
TF528 Theological Hermeneutics
TF568 Calvin's Theology and Its Critics
TF574 Salvation and Deification
CM121 Church Governance and Denominational Standards (J-Term)

In a time when churches are pressured to become pragmatic and self-centered in the face of many challenges, Christian theology can mediate a rich theological heritage that is deep enough to nourish the church and dynamic enough to be open to God's ongoing work. For the church, the study of the Bible and theology is not just an academic exercise, but a part of a transformative encounter with the triune God who is shaping people into the image of Christ by the Spirit’s power.

Background

Dr. Billings approaches the discipline of theology with a commitment to the ministry of the church. His varied experience in Christian ministry includes work in community development in Uganda, teaching theology in Ethiopia, working on staff at a Boston-area homeless shelter, and serving his local church in various leadership roles. He is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.

Dr. Billings's special interests include Reformed theology, the sacraments, salvation, and theological hermeneutics. His first book, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union With Christ (Oxford, 2007) won a 2009 Templeton Award for Theological Promise, awarded internationally for the best first books of scholars in theology and religious studies. He is also author of The Word of God for the People of God: An Entryway to the Theological Interpretation of Scripture (Eerdmans, 2010), and co-editor of Calvin’s Theology and Its Reception: Disputes, Developments, and New Possibilities (Westminster John Knox, 2010). Dr. Billings has lectured in Europe, South Africa, and the United States, and has published in a variety of journals, including Modern Theology, Harvard Theological Review, Missiology, and International Journal of Systematic Theology, as well as periodicals such as Christianity Today, The Christian Century, and Sojourners.

Visit Dr. Billings' personal website: www.jtoddbillings.com